a look at writing, marketing & the mindset to improve your skills in both.

Suddenly everybody is so focused on minute time. The moments are counting down- people hanging on second by second. Their voices grow in unison all around you. There’s no backing away, like a runaway train with doors fast shut, you’re stuck on this ride. Are you anxious or excited? It doesn’t matter, there’s nothing you can do to change this situation. All around you, thousands of people hold their breaths for the last second.

Suddenly, the sky lights up with a boom. People cheer. Fireworks crackle and sparkle, faces all around illuminated by the flashes. For many people, this point in time ushers in a run-down of everything they’re going to do differently in the next 12 months: they’re going to hit the gym or find that romance they’ve been seeking, they’re going to travel to that far-off destination and make it actually happen at last. The buzz of enthusiasm and anticipation is like pulling out of your driveway at the start of a driving holiday. We’re unstoppable and nothing is going to get in the way between us and our destiny this time…

…Nothing but ourselves. Go into a gym in the first week of January on any given day- you have to wait at least 5 minutes no matter what apparatus you want to use. Go back in April and you can breeze through with rarely a minutes’ waiting time. Where did all those sweaty, puffing people go? Why is it that we look up from the latest bill in front of us to glance at our calendar and remember that not only is it October but we haven’t even been to the travel agent to enquire about holiday accommodation on that trip we were going to take! Those grand plans, backed by that unstoppable spirit of good intention, now feels like a ghostly memory.

Why does this scenario play out so often that we joke over it rather than despair? Why do so many of us set out, wind in our sails, feeling like Leo standing on the prow, only to head back to shore or beach ourselves on a desert island the moment a storm comes along? We’d rather play Robinson Carusoe and live in rags than keep aiming for the promised land that is on that map. We can’t see it on the horizon so we give up. Why is that?

Any new investment comes with a risk. In order to discover or gain something new, something that exists or something comfortable or well-worn, will be the wage. Taking a new course means sacrificing time in front of the TV at night. Saving for that holiday means sacrificing those comfort foods we looked forward to and being firmer with our fists whenever they reach into our pockets. Getting that body you know you could have means plenty of mornings, afternoons or evenings covered in sweat and suffering discomfort between you now and you where you dream of being. Seeking a wonderful new romance means sacrificing your ego and pride, risking heartbreak or having to live with rejection.

New Years’ Resolutions fail so often because there is nothing to back these changes in attitude beyond the calendar. It has to go much deeper- we must be willing to make a new investment, and with that comes risk. It’s the same for your business- for new dawns to manifest and to enjoy success you haven’t seen before, it will require risking comfortable old ideas and getting rid of things you haven’t done without before. Whatever needs to be risked in order for this to be your most abundant and productive year yet, I’m sure you’ll be committed and resilient and bold enough to invest wherever needs to be invested- in order to reap rewards that (until now) you've only dreamed of.